Baltimore DC vacation questions

Just my two cents on Max's, but...

I used to stop by Max's pretty frequently when I lived in the area, and I never had a problem when asking for a taste of something. One of the things I've always really liked about Max's, is that you can buy a sample glass of anything (no matter how rare or how limited it is). A lot of times if they had something I knew nothing about, I'd ask if I could just get a small taste of something, before deciding if I wanted to commit to a full glass or a sample size glass. Again, I never had a problem with any bartender when making such a request. That being said....

In my experience, any place can have an off day or night, no matter how great the place. I'm assuming that for whatever reason, the bartender in question was having a particularly bad day, and so for some reason was in a bad mood. That doesn't excuse what happened to Mantooth... I'm simply suggesting that what he experienced isn't typical (at least not based on my experience). Given where Max's is located (almost immediately adjacent to the water taxi pick-up in Fells Point), they get a huge influx of tourists, many of which don't know the first thing about craft beer, etc. So the staff there get all kinds of off the wall questiions, and they're trained to respond in a polite and friendly manner. I've even seen customers go off on the staff sometimes, upon learning that they couldn't bring kids in, or that there wasn't any table service (Max's has large, prominent signs advising patrons of their service policy, but for some, it just doesn't seem to resonate with some people). Again, when this happens, I've never seen the staff react in anything but a polite, professional manner. I only point this out to emphasize just how rare the experience Mantooth had is. Again, that's no excuse for what happened... I'm simply noting that this isn't common.

As for the experience Mantooth had the previous evening, unfortunately, in my experience that IS pretty typical. If you visit Max's on a Friday or Saturday evening after 7:00 or 8:00, it will likely be a madhouse, with the noise level off the charts. Consequently, I always tell visiting friends to go (and leave) early.

Shrug. There are a lot of cool places to visit while in the Baltimore area, so no need to visit Max's if you don't want to (Ford). However, they do have a stellar, often incredible beer selection, one that no place else in the city can touch. That's not to put Alewife down (or Brewer's Art, or Hudston St. Stackhouse, or Mahaffey's, etc.), which is also an excellent spot (although I think it a bit expensive, and I'm not a big fan of the location). Still, it's pretty hard to imagine visiting Baltimore without stopping by Max's. Frankly, I think you should give a try and then form your own opinion. Cheers!

(You could also read over some of the reviews of Max's. As you'll see, a lot of visitors have had a very good time there.)

 

I must be trying the wrong Stillwater beers I guess.

Stillwater definitely makes some good stuff, and I completely agree with the "interesting saison" style description, but... awesome? I think that's a bit strong, but that's just my opinion. I just haven't heard anyone else ever describe Stillwater's stuff as awesome, which is why this surprised me a bit.

Also, Stillwater beers are pretty easy to find in and around Baltimore, so there's no need to go to OLAR in order to sample them. Not that there's anything wrong with OLAR, but their prices remain very high (despite assurances from Brian S. that draft prices there would start to come down a bit), and while the food there is good, I just think it's overpriced. Max's and Alewife both typically will have several different Stillwater beers available on draft (Max's has a very nice bottle selection of Stillwater stuff as well), and Max's often times will have something of theirs on cask. Personally, I would go to Max's and Alewife for Stillwater beers, especially if I was on any kind of a budget.

(both the draft list and menu for OLAR are available on line, for anyone who wants to see for themselves regarding OLAR pricing)

 

"Also, the food is pricey because it's a hell of a lot better than anything you would get at a regular brew pub."

Except, of course, they're not a brewpub.

Each to their own of course, and I do agree that the food at OLAR is pretty good (though I wouldn't describe it as high class), but still... you don't think $14 for a burger is a bit spendy? Or $22 for fish and chips? Or $12 for a grilled cheese sandwich?

I agree the croissant bun for the burgers is a nice touch, but even so, I don't think it warrants a $14 price tag.


At least for me, this is just an ongoing problem I have with OLAR. I don't think I'm quite the fan you are, but I do like Stillwater beer... just not to the tune of $9 for 10 ounce glass (which is what a glass will run you of the Love and Regret). I've already commented about the food prices at OLAR, so I won't belabor it further. As for Stillwater beer, I like some things better than others, but regardless, initially I was pretty excited about the prospect of seeing the occasional barrel aged beer on tap at OLAR.... until I saw the $9 for a 6 ounce pour price tag.

As I mentioned, Max's usually has a pretty decent selection of Stillwater on tap (and their prices are plenty high enough as it is), so that's where I'll contiue to go for Stillwater beer whenever I'm in town.

 

Yes. I don't do it all that often, but there have been a few occasions where I knew nothing about a particular beer, and so asked for a taste before committing to a sample pour or a full glass. The bartenders were always completely cool about it. Granted, I was a pretty regular customer at Max's and knew the bartenders, but I saw them according the same courtesy to tourists who had just walked in off the street.

In my experience, the quality of the service at Max's is often affected by how busy they are (which I think is pretty understandable). On times when they aren't busy, I've seen bartenders spending a considerable amount of time with a customer, pouring them several sample tastes to try to find something they liked (with no charge). However, on occasions when the place is packed (increasingly all too frequently), of course the bartender wants you to make up your mind, order a drink, so he can move on to the next customer... and yes, at such times, I've seen them become impatient with a customer who couldn't make up his mind or who was taking an inordinate amount of time to figure out what they wanted. Again, I think that's to be expected...